Before sailing, Fujio Cho, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation (head office; Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture: president; Katsuaki Watanabe), the cargo owner of the ship, who was on board as a guest, Takao Kusakari, chairman of NYK, Fumiaki Watari, chairman of Nippon Oil, and others celebrated the start of the system and held a ceremony to mark the first transition to solar electric power. The three chairmen pushed the starting button for the 328 sheets of solar panels and confirmed that the system started generating solar-powered electricity.

NYK and Nippon Oil will conduct field experiments to verify that the electric power supply can maintain stable propelling in the hard conditions of actual navigation. And for another two years the system will be checked for its endurance against saltwater damage, wind pressure, and constant vibrations, and for its mix of solar power and ship-generated power. We aim at realizing a solar-powered ship.

[Particulars of Auriga Leader]

Length Overall

:

199.99 m

Breadth

:

32.26 m

Depth

:

34.52 m

Capacity

:

6,200 cars

Deadweight Tonnage

:

18,758 tons

Gross Tonnage

:

60,213 tons

Builder

:

Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd.

The news on this website is as of the date announced and may change without notice.